A global map of human impact on marine ecosystems

A group at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California Santa Barbara have recently published an analytical map demonstrating what waters have been affected by humans. The report was published in Science and basically demonstrates that no areas have been unaffected, but that there still are areas that have been minimally affected. This new data not only provides critical information, but also may serve as a basis for ecosystem management and planning.

Science 15 February 2008: Vol. 319. no. 5865, pp. 948 – 952